At their San Diego Comic-Con panel
yesterday, Aspen Comics—the house
that Michael Turner built—revealed
several new projects. The first, and
biggest project covered was a 4-issue
miniseries 2 years in the making titled
Iron and the Maiden. Written by Crash
Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter Jason Rubin
with art by Joel Gomez and Francis Manapul,
each issue will be oversized (28 pages)
and the series will ship monthly. Each
issue will also feature at least 2 variant
covers (those attending the panel got
a look at the variants for every issue)
by Michael Turner, Joe Madureira, Chris
Bachalo and others. The series will lead
into the new Aspen Showcase, a series
of one-shots and short stories featuring
Aspen properties done by various guest
artists and writers. Also announced was
the long-awaited debut of Ekos, written
by Geoff Johns with art by Turner. More
upcoming projects include the Spider-Man/Red
Sonja crossover, a comic based on the
hit video game Mercenaries, and a new
Marvel project by Michael Turner that
he says he is doing instead of Ultimate
Wolverine. We’ll also be seeing
Turner on an as of yet unnamed Marvel
project in summer 2008.

As for Aspen’s current series,
fans can expect to see the start of
the third volume of Fathom starting
in 2008 with art by Ale Garza. They
can also expect a double sized (40
pages) fourth issue of Fathom: Kiani.
And for you cheesecake lovers, you
can expect the Aspen Splash swimsuit
special shipping on Wednesday, August
8. You’ll also get an extra helping
thanks to the Aspen Matthews and Kiani
statues coming soon. For fans of Soulfire,
you can expect issues #8-#10
coming soon. Issue #8 is complete and
issues
#9 and #10 are almost there. After
the series’ completion, the saga
will continue with a new series titled
Soulfire: New World Order. Also announced
by Aspen’s head honchos was guaranteed
shipping on its titles, hopefully meaning
no more late issues.

Image's successful "Death Dealer" mini-series,
based on the famous painting by Frank
Frazetta, has led the publisher to announce
at this year's Comic-Con International
in San Diego more such projects. Spearheaded
by Jay Fotos, the books are in the pipeline
for 2008.
One of the one-shots announced features "30
Days of Night" creator Steve Niles
on some iconic horror characters: Niles
spoke with CBR News about "Frank
Frazetta's Dracula Meets the Wolfman."
" First of all, it's almost more
of a challenge than an assignment," Niles
said, "Because I just love that
Jay Fotos and is going around asking,
'OK. What Frazetta cover do you want
to do a story about?' So I responded,
'you know that one of the vampire and
the werewolf ripping each other to
shreds? That's the story I want to
do. I just wish I could remember the
title of the image. It's funny, with
Frazetta I know every single image,
but then I forget the titles on them!

"It's going to be short, but
violent and everything that painting
depicts. Basically, it's going to be
Dracula and the Wolfman walk into a
bar and get into a fight," Niles
joked. "It'll be a lot more than
that, really, but it's also because
other than some very old films, those
two ... don't have a lot of crossover.
It's going to be fun. Dracula and Frankenstein
have an entire history together --
and I do have a Dracula/Frankenstein
thing I'm working on with another artist
over at Wildstorm actually -- but this
will be very visceral and I'm going
to attempt to bring the sense of that
picture to life. That's really the
fun of this whole ride they've embarked
on.

"Brutal violence is the first
thing that comes to mind," said
Niles of Frazetta's work, "But
really it's incredibly strong characterization.
The one thing that always strikes me,
and what makes this project that Jay's
is doing so brilliant, is it takes
me back to when I was a kid. And I'd
sit down with those old Frazetta books,
and I'd look through them, and the
stories that would come out of them
had a huge effect on me. And, in a
way, I could liken that to how I learned
how to write. Spending that much time
staring at just one image had an effect
on me.

"There's that one image –-
again, I'm bad with the titles –-
but there's a creepy cover with a guy
working at a table and there's some
sort of ghoulish woman coming through
a door –- holy Hell! That actually
was one of the candidates to do a story
on, but I decided I didn't want to
burst the bubble for myself because
that one haunted me as a kid and if
I go and explain it I'll take away
one of my good nightmares.

"There's also the famous image
of the monster on the hill with the
moon behind him overlooking a village.
And I remember, as a kid, staring at
that and thinking at first here's a
monster and he's shown up there to
kill. Then, as I got a little older,
I thought, what if in fact he was a
kid from that village who got turned
into a monster and now he's standing
there watching the village wanting
to return home. Just looking at his
paintings your imagination grows and
that's what he brings: he jumpstarts
your imagination.

"It's not just horror, he also
paints scenes of incredible beauty,
too.

"Jay's handling this very smartly," Niles
said. "They let me pick my own
artist. The Frazettas have to approve
everything, which is for me surreal
in its own way, but I'm really given
total freedom. Of course, let's see
how much freedom I get if I write a
crappy script."

Niles hooked up with Fotos for the
Frazetta projects because he has a
certain history with the initial Frazetta
comic series.

"I was supposed to write 'Death
Dealer' –- don't I know the right
project to jump off of!" Niles
said, laughing. "It goes and sells
60,000 copies and I'm like, 'Yup, that's
me! I'm the guy who dropped off that
because I'm too busy.' While at the
same time, I'm writing books that are
selling four to six thousand copies!
Oh, well.

"I don't think I've ever laughed
as hard as I did when those numbers
came in, especially after the rough
year I had, that was just a perfect
ending! 'Yup, I called that one right!'
Seriously, I'm glad Joshua Ortega seems
to have gotten a lot out of it and
that just thrills the hell out of me."

At Comic-Con International in San
Diego, Image Comics announces it would
follow-up on its popular "Death
Dealer" mini-series, based on
the painting by famous fantasy artist
Frank Frazetta, with a new miniseries
and a spate of one-shots all based
on further Frazetta works. The projects
are spearheaded by artist Jay Fotos
and include a number of well-known
creators. Among them is Rick Remender,
who spoke with CBR News about his one-shot, "Frank
Frazetta's Creatures."
"
Jay and I did some hanging out at a
show we did together and got to chatting
about our love for Frazetta," Remender
said. "Everyone who reads my
book, 'Fear Agent,' knows what a
huge inspiration
Frank was on that series. So my passion
for the work, and Jay's, made us
fast friends. When he came to me
with the
possibility of doing a book based
on a Frazetta piece I jumped -- very
excited
to be involved."

"Rick Remender is a workhorse
and takes no shit, like me," said
Fotos. "He's a good all-around
creator, moves fast and if you're in
his way he'll punch you in the face,
like me. In my mind, it's a no-brainer,
I love him."

The first step in expanding the Frazetta
line of comics, after getting the painter's
blessing, was to choose a piece for
Remender's project.

"We went through a few different
ones that I picked as my favorites
before landing on 'Creatures,'" Remender
said. "I wanted something very
different than the fantasy stuff, [something]
that had some sci-fi to it and this
has that, plus mutant gorillas, giant
snakes and all kinds of gorgeous Frazetta
monsters. Jay loved the idea of this
one as well, so off we went."

Remender was cautious in describing
what "Creatures" the title
refers to.

"Ah, but that would be spoiling
so much," he said. "I will
tell you the lead hero is Teddy Roosevelt,
who as President of the United States
moonlights as a paranormal investigator.
As president, he is privy to things
the rest of us don't and shouldn't
know. Dark things that live among us,
around every corner, where we work,
where we live. Monsters and aliens
have infiltrated us. With no one else
he can trust with this horrible information,
Teddy resumes his role as a Rough Rider.
Part Indiana Jones, part 'X-Files,'
it's perfect fun."

As one might guess, it does not tie-into
the emerging Frazetta Universe being
laid out in the current "Death
Dealer" miniseries as well as
the projects announced alongside "Creatures."

"All these titles are based off
Frank's art," Fotos said. "We're
building the Time-Life library of Frazetta
comics. There are titles that tie into
each other, 'Death Dealer,' 'Silver
Warrior,' 'Dark Kingdom' and 'Swamp
Demon.' But we don't want all the titles
to do that, hence 'Creatures' and 'Dracula
Meets the Wolfman.'

"'Creatures' has such a cool
concept that I don't see it just a
one-shot, so be prepared to see somewhat
of an ongoing with that title. It's
just too cool, with potential for movies
or even a TV series."

Like his co-creators in the Frazetta
line, Remender's first contact with
the legendary fantasy artist's work
goes way back.

"Art class," in Remender's
case. "Freshman year of high school,
I had an art teacher who was pretty
lazy. He would give us Xeroxed images
and simply have us reproduce them.
For two to three months, he handed
us Frazetta images and we would redraw
them. I fell in love with the stuff.

"Every Frazetta image tells a
story that you want to know. You look
at one of his paintings, and it demands
that you create a story to fit it.
Frank creates pure imagination like
the Willy Wonka -- Gene Wilder version,
please -- of fantasy art. It is one
of the most inspirational bodies of
work I can think of. When I have a
block or need a big idea, I look through
his paintings for inspiration and I
always find it. He painted scenarios
that send the mind reeling in a million
directions with endless possibilities.
No one artist does that for me like
Frank does."

"Creatures," like the other
Frazetta projects announced at the
convention, is not due in stores until
2008. Thus, certain decisions are yet
to be made.

"We have a few of the usual amazing
suspects in mind," said Remender. "I
think the announcement about the artist
is going to wait till we have some
pages to show."

Novelist Joshua Ortega has worked on
many of comics' top properties since
his first published comics work in 2005,
not the least of which is the 'Death
Dealer' mini-series from Image Comics,
based on the works of legendary fantasy
artist Frank Frazetta. Now, Ortega is
continuing that association as Image
announces further Frazetta-inspired projects
this weekend at Comic-Con International
in San Diego.
"
Long story short: Steve Niles was originally
tapped to write 'Death Dealer,' when
he realized his schedule was too packed,
he suggested me to take over the writing
reins. ... Luckily, I was Nat's first
choice as well, and the rest is history
in the making.

"As far as working on titles
beyond 'Death Dealer,' from the start
I knew if we nailed the first book
we'd have a chance at doing an interconnected
Frazetta Universe, so I started seeding
some hints throughout the story that
dealt with some larger events and other
places and characters. Nat and Jay
were also thinking along the same lines,
and we were fortunate that the Frazettas
loved what we were doing and gave us
the green light for the idea."

While the "Silver Warrior" mini-series
is still in development, Ortega spoke
about why the painting was selected
to be the basis for the centerpiece
of the expansion of the Frazetta line.

"From the get-go, that was my
first choice after 'Death Dealer.'
'Silver Warrior' was painted by Frazetta
at the same time as 'Death Dealer,'
and it has that same incredible energy,
but with a very different feel to it.
It's one of those paintings that really
resonates with people and has a huge
following. Heck, you can even buy Zippos
of both of them!

"When it came time to pick the
follow-up mini-series to 'Death Dealer',
I think we all sensed that 'Silver
Warrior' was the best image we could
choose. I couldn't be happier to be
working with that image, and we've
got a killer story for him."

In addition to 'Silver Warrior,' Ortega
will also be writing a one-shot based
on another Frazetta work.

"'Frank Frazetta's Swamp Demon'
is the one-shot that I'm writing, which
will most likely be released before
the 'Silver Warrior' mini-series. It's
a dark fantasy tale in the vein of
'Death Dealer,' very different from
'Silver Warrior' -- which is more high
fantasy -- and it even features some
of the characters from 'Death Dealer,'
albeit 500 years before the 'Death
Dealer' story takes place.

"The same creative team from
'Death Dealer' will be featured on
'Silver Warrior' -- me, Nat Jones,
and Jay Fotos -- though we aren't quite
yet ready to announce who's on 'Swamp
Demon' yet. Suffice to say, the artists
on the book will not disappoint...after
all, you've gotta bring your A-game
to the table when you're working on
a Frazetta book!

"'Death Dealer,' 'Silver Warrior,'
and 'Swamp Demon' are all very interconnected
through various characters and events,
and all take place in the same world.
These books are the foundation of the
Frazetta Universe, and reading all
three of these will allow you to get
a good feel for this brand new world
of fantasy fiction. Mark Kidwell's
'Dark Kingdom' will also tie into the
Frazetta Universe, though the land
of Vikavia is still somewhat isolated
at the time that his story takes place...however,
it's still essential reading for those
who want to explore every corner of
the Frazetta Universe."

Ortega's connection to the works of
Frazetta goes back further than he
can pinpoint.

"I can't even remember the first
time. I just know that when I realized
that the same man had painted so many
of these great, inspiring images that
I had seen, I was hooked. There's no
other painter like Frazetta. Simply
put, the man's a genius.

"They have been incredibly inspiring.
... I can go on at length, but that
pretty much sums it up. Inspiration
is a powerful thing, and all great
art and great artists have the ability
to inspire. Frazetta's work does just
that."

While Ortega has not yet had the opportunity
to meet the man who has inspired so
much, he did mention a planned trip
to Frazetta's home state of Pennsylvania
in the near future.

The success of Image's "Death
Dealer" mini-series, based on the
famous painting by Frank Frazetta, lead
the publisher to announce at this year's
San Diego Comic Convention that further
Frazetta-inspired projects, spearheaded
by the 'Death Dealer" team, are
on the horizon. Horror comics creator
Mark Kidwell will be stretching into
the realm of fantasy on one of those
projects. Kidwell spoke with CBR news
about "Frank Frazetta's Dark Kingdom."
Kidwell began by speaking about how he
became involved in the expanding Frazetta
Universe."Basically, it was by invitation," Kidwell
said. "Nat, Jay and I had worked
together on the Vietnam/Zombie book
'68' from Image and Jay and I have
worked together on several projects,
so they knew my scripting work and
asked me to look over the Frazetta
catalog and choose a couple of paintings
I thought might lend themselves to
a good one-shot story. I'm always
more than happy to work with these
guys and was instantly excited about
the chance to work on one of the
Frazetta pieces."

Once on board the team, it came
time to select a piece on which to
base his one-shot.

"That's a funny story," said
Kidwell. "Since most of the
stuff I've had published is predominantly
in the horror genre, the guys asked
me to focus on one of the horror
paintings. I spent an evening scanning
the Internet for galleries of Frazetta's
work and looked at everything. There
were, of course, dozens of pieces
that rocked, but the horror stuff
just didn't affect me like the fantasy
paintings. I'm a lifelong junkie
for Robert E. Howard's work and the
sword and sorcery genre in general,
and the 'Dark Kingdom' painting has
long been one of my all time favorite
depictions of barbaric fiction. I
just kept coming back to that one.
I couldn't shake it. Over the next
week or so, the story started forming
in my head and fleshed itself out
so fully, I had to sit down and write
it. When I got in touch with Jay
to tell him which painting I'd decided
to do, I sent him a finished panel-to-panel
breakdown script. He was a little
freaked out and E-mailed me back,
saying simply, 'You're nuts.' He
and Nat read the script, liked it,
made some changes, I tweaked the
script and Voila! 'Dark Kingdom.'"

"The 'Dark Kingdom' in the
story has a double meaning," Kidwell
explained. "Physically, it's
the part of the Frazetta painting
that you don't see. The warrior in
the piece is pensively entering a
cave opening, leaving the world of
light and sun behind. What he faces
in the wet shadows of that cavern
is the tangible aspect of the 'Dark
Kingdom' story.

"Secondly, due to the situations
surrounding the character in the
script, the 'Dark Kingdom' also applies
to the internal motivations driving
the warrior to enter the dangerous
darkness before him. Elements of
the story set him on an inescapable
path toward something deadly and
force him to overcome his own personal
fears. So, the 'Dark Kingdom' resides
in his mind as much as his physical
environment."

The tale of the "Dark Kingdom" is
centered on a legendary sea-raider,
reminiscent of a Viking. And known
for remarkable abilities in combat
and savagery.

"His name is Morden," said
Kidwell, "but he's known on
the high seas as 'Red Morden, the
Crimson Reaver.' He's a member of
a clan of pirates who prey on merchant
ships in an untamed region of the
northern seas. His prime motivation
is plunder and wanderlust, both satisfied
by his wild, seafaring nature."

The one-shot also has a rich supporting
cast. "Other characters include
Morden's wife, Brynna," added
Kidwell, "a gentle woman who
is looked up to in their home village
as healer, teacher and seer. She's
also an artist and has some limited,
latent psychic abilities." The
rest of Morden's Viking crew and
a shepherd who narrates the tale
round out the cast.

Kidwell spoke of the themes of the
story and what readers can expect.

"The story is one of human
loss and the lengths one will go
to for vengeance and acceptance.
All this is wrapped up in an overall
tale of high adventure that moves
fast and doesn't skimp on action.
There's plenty of barbaric combat
and daring-do, but it's laced with
a lot of heart and characterization
as well. Oh, yeah, and there are
monsters…"

While standing on its own, Kidwell's
one-shot is firmly set in the emerging
Frazetta Universe.

"'Dark Kingdom' shares the
same world with the 'Death Dealer'
books and there will be some references
to geographical elements that work
within the framework of what Josh
has set up in the first series. He
has been very cool about sharing
his vision of the fantasy world in
which the two stories are set. I
wanted to make sure everything I
did blended seamlessly with his current
and future plans for the Frazetta
universe. Some of the other Frazetta
books will take place in separate
worlds, but mine is locked into the
'Death Dealer' canon."

"When you're a lifelong fan
of fantasy art and pulp fiction,
it often feels like Frazetta has
always been there and you've been
a fan since birth," said Kidwell
when asked to trace back to the time
he first discovered Frazetta's work. "I
guess the first stuff I saw were
the Conan book covers. I credit Mr.
Frazetta with leading me to the actual
stories behind those amazing pieces
of art. Without his paintings to
draw me to them, I might never have
discovered characters like Conan,
Kull, Solomon Kane and all the other
Howard properties. Other than that,
probably the 'Death Dealer' and 'Dark
Kingdom' paintings on the old Molly
Hatchet album covers. I remember
just staring at those things when
I was a kid and thinking, "How
the hell does he do that?"

"It makes me cry, deep in the
night, knowing that I'll never be
anywhere near that good," Kidwell
joked on the subject of the effect
Frazetta's work has had on him. "Seriously,
the Frazetta stuff inspires generations.
It has and continues to bring thousands
of new fans to the dark fantasy genre,
year after year. It's timeless and
iconic and makes me, like I'm sure
it does everyone, want to be part
of the worlds it depicts."

While Kidwell has "Dark Kingdom" firmly
worked out and is scheduled for a
2008 release, there's still much
work to be done.

"Nat and Jay have an artist
in mind for the 'Dark Kingdom' project,
but nothing has been firmed up yet.
Once everything is in place, they'll
be shouting it to the rooftops. Not
naming names, I'll just say that
the guy they have in mind is another
one of my biggest influences art-wise,
and a legend in his own right. I'm
hoping it works out, 'cause the book
will be simply amazing to look at."

Building on the success of Image's "Death
Dealer" mini-series based on the
painting by renowned fantasy artist
Frank Frazetta, the book's shepherd,
artist Jay Fotos, is moving forward
on expanding the line of Frazetta-inspired
comics. Fotos has announced, at the
San Diego Comic Convention, a line-up
of several one shots and a new mini-series,
all based on famous Frazetta paintings
and featuring the work of a team of
recognized comics creators. Fotos spoke
with CBR News about the project.
"
The Silver Warrior" is a four-issue
mini-series by Fotos, Nat Jones and
Joshua Ortega. One-shots include Rick
Remender on Frazetta's "Creatures," "Swamp
Demon" written by Joshua Ortega,
Steve Niles handling "Dracula
Meets The Wolfman," and Mark Kidwell
doing the same for "Dark Kingdom."

The origins of the Frazetta projects
go back to Fotos' love of the artist's
work as simply a fan. "Always
a Frazetta fan and a art collector
I scraped up some money to finally
purchase a Frazetta original," explained
Fotos. "I contacted the Frazettas
[Frank and his wife, Ellie] about purchasing
some art, with many phone conversations
we became friendly. I sent out comics
and prints that I worked on and they
were impressed. So I just asked if
I can do a 'Death Dealer' series, they
said 'okay,' but they were pretty strict
on how they wanted Frank's art to be
portrayed and insisted on approving
everything. I was fine with that. I
wanted them involved as much as possible.
It slows things down but in the long
run everyone is happy with the results,
which was my first concern."

"Frazetta sees everything," Fotos
added. "For the most part, from
having conversations, I know what he
doesn't want to see. So before stuff
goes to him it'll be filtered."

The 'Death Dealer' mini-series has
seen sell outs and second printings,
proving successful for Fotos, Frazetta
and publisher Image Comics, giving
Fotos an idea.

"The Frazettas are so pleased
with how 'Death Dealer' is turning
out and sales are good, that I approached
them about continuing on with the 'Frazetta
Comic Universe,'" said Fotos. "They
think I'm nuts, but I feel these books
will be like the Time-Life books of
the comic world. If you're a Frazetta
fan you must have these on your shelf!"

Looking over the upcoming event's
projects, Fotos said, "Nat Jones
and I are the 'go to' guys on all this.
We (along with Frazetta) decide on
the direction/look we are looking for. "

Fotos explained, "With the new
'Silver Warrior' four-issue mini, we
wanted to keep in the same world as
'Death Dealer,' tying them together,
but still keeping them at arms length
from each other. 'Dark Kingdom' and
'Swamp Demon' tie in with the Death
Dealer world. 'Dracula Meets the Wolfman'
and 'Creatures' are all on their own
and all with room to expand if we wanted."

"All titles will bare the name
'Frank Frazetta's...' with logos and
layout similar to the 'Death Dealer'
series," Fotos continued. "Like
I said, we are building a library,
kind of a brand name with these books
so when you see it on the shelf you
know it came from us and can expect
the same quality."

Once it was decided to build on the
success of "Death Dealer," Fotos
expanded his team. "Writers were
picked from who we know and from what
ideas they had," he said. "We
kept it pretty open, saying 'What would
you like to write?' Being we have full
reign over the whole Frazetta library
there's a ton to pick from. "

Fotos continued, "Choosing the
paintings, it was a two-way street,
stuff we thought would work and what
the writers wanted. I approached the
writers saying 'pick up some Frazetta
books and pick out your top 3 paintings
you would like to do.' From there we
discussed story ideas and went with
what worked best. In no way I would
say, 'This is what you're doing!' I
want the other creators to be excited
about working on these projects so
having them choose what they want is
the best way to go in my opinion."

"We are still in development
with most of these books," added
Fotos. That's why we have all these
titles slated for 2008 releases.

Fotos is more directly involved in
one of the announced projects, the
mini-series, "Silver Warrior." "'Death
Dealer' was plotted by Nat and myself
then Joshua [Ortega] came in an took
the reigns, adding on, and is doing
a fantastic job. With 'Silver Warrior,'
it's very collaborative, we (Joshua,
Nat and I) will go over story ideas
and we'll all put I our two cents in.
The basis is another epic story like
'Death Dealer'...but in the snow."

Fotos can't be entirely forthcoming
on what the story of 'Silver Warrior'
will be about just yet. "That's
a tough question to answer at this
point," he explained. "Like
I said, things are still brewing with
this storyline and to give a definitive
who and what that might change...we
are still focused on finishing up the
'Death Dealer' series."

For Fotos, these projects are the
culmination of something that started
long ago."[When I was in] third
grade, my father was big on 'Heavy
Metal' magazine, back in the seventies,
and he picked up 'The Fantastic Art
of Frank Frazetta.' That book changed
my life, along with a million other
people."

"The effects of Frank's art that
you can still see within my own art
is the sense of depth and movement," Fotos
continued. "I pretty much base
all that from Frazetta."

Are these projects all that are planned
for this Frazetta line of comics?

"Five new titles aren't enough?
Geez! I kid! We plan to go as long
as fans still pick up the books. Like
I said, we have full reign on all the
Frazetta paintings...and there are
a lot of them. Stay tuned."

New York, NY – DC Comics, the
world's largest English language
comic book publisher and home to
SUPERMAN, BATMAN and WONDER WOMAN
announced plans today to publish
a new comic book series based on
World of Warcraft®, Blizzard
Entertainment®'s popular massively
multiplayer online role-playing game
(MMORPG). Preview art from the series
will debut at Comic-Con International,
held in San Diego, CA from July 26–29.
The World of Warcraft comic book
will be published through DC's WildStorm
imprint and debut this fall.

The ongoing monthly series will
be written by industry veteran Walter
Simonson (Thor, ORION) and feature
art by Ludo Lullabi and inker Sandra
Hope. The first six issues of the
WORLD OF WARCRAFT comic series will
each feature two covers, one by superstar
comic book artist Jim Lee and a second
by Blizzard Entertainment Senior
Art Director Samwise Didier.

The Warcraft® series has been
a pillar of gaming culture for over
a decade, with multiple #1-selling
titles. Blizzard's World of Warcraft
MMORPG allows thousands of players
to explore the rich, war-torn setting
of the franchise together, and has
attracted more than 8.5 million subscribers
worldwide. The Burning Crusade, the
first expansion to World of Warcraft,
recently shattered PC game sales
records by selling more than 2.4
million copies in its first 24 hours
of release and approximately 3.5
million in its first month.

The first storyline of the new ongoing
series begins when a human is found
unconscious on the shores of Kalimdor,
with no memory of who he is or how
he arrived there. Enslaved by an
orc shaman, the man must fight for
survival against members of both
the Alliance and the Horde. He strikes
uneasy relationships with other races
in his quest to find the secrets
of his past

WORLD
OF WARCRAFT COMIC(Release Date: November 14, 2007 )

Written by Walter Simonson; Art by
Ludo Lullabi and Sandra Hope; Cover by
Jim Lee; Variant cover by Samwise Didier

When a human is found unconscious
on the shores of Kalimdor, with no
memory of who he is or how he arrived
there, how will he survive? Enslaved
by an Orc Shaman, he must fight for
survival against members of both the
Alliance and the Horde. Will he strike
the uneasy balance with the other races
he'll need to find the secrets of his
past?

Look out, Spidey, the She-Devil with a Sword is out for your blood! Two legendary
heroes come together at the command of the sinister sorcerer Kulan Gath–so
you know it won't be for tea and crumpets! Oh, and did we mention that Venom
has entered the fray? No man can defeat Red Sonja in battle–but what about
a symbiote? It's more web-slinging and sword-swinging, courtesy of Michael Avon
Oeming (OMEGA FLIGHT) and Mel Rubi (Red Sonja)–plus another killer cover
by Michael Turner!

The wise-cracking Wall-Crawler collides with the She-Devil with a Sword! Longtime
Marvel readers know that these two legends have met before -- but that was
just the warm-up! They may be from two different eras, but Spider-Man and
Red Sonja have both faced the maniacal mage known as Kulan Gath. Now the
sadistic sorcerer makes a play for power that will once again bring these
two famous heroes together -- but will it be as friends or foes? Writer Michael
Avon Oeming (OMEGA FLIGHT, Red Sonja) and Mel Rubi (Red Sonja) – plus
series cover artist Michael Turner (CIVIL WAR) – answer the eternal
question: What's better in a fight, the proportional strength and speed of
a spider, or cold, hard steel and a chain–mail bikini?

He’s confronted the deaths
of family and friends – but
how will the passing of a fellow
hero rock the Wall-Crawler? We know
we’re being secretive about
these FALLEN SON issue descriptions,
but it’s Jeph Loeb, David Finch
(NEW AVENGERS) and Spider-Man all
dealing with life’s greatest
foe – so you know it’s
going to rock!

* Aspen's first creator-owned
series Iron and the Maiden will launch
on "Iron Day," August 1st.
The series is the brainchild of Crash
Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter creator
Jason Rubin and features character
designs by Joe Madureira and Jeff Matsduda.
The book is penciled by Francis Manapul
with Joel Gomez and is colored by Danimation.
Each book of the four-issue series
is 28 pages with behind-the scenes
content.

Aspen is proud to offer you the first fully ORIGINAL Soulfire: New World Order
story with the Wizard World Philly exclusive debut of Soulfire: New World Order
Beginnings. This COMPLETELY ORIGINAL 7 page story will introduce you to a futuristic
land ruled by technology and thriving in magic! World renowned artist Francisco
Herrera and colorist extraordinaire Leonardo Olea, along with scribe J.T. Krul,
bring you one of the most anticipated Soulfire comics of the con season! Limited
to only 2500 total copies, don’t miss your chance to get this amazing new
exclusive. You will not be disappointed!!

Written by Vince Hernandez; Pencils by Marcus To; Colors by Peter Steigerwald

With a shocking discovery turning her world upside down, the Elite warrior KIANI
finds herself facing the toughest decision she's ever been forced to make!

Meanwhile, a race of isolated, and deadly, Blue inhabitants come closer to linking
the fate of their civilization to the fate of Kiani herself! Following on the
heels of the shocking conclusion to issue one, Kiani #2 will finally answer the
long-anticipated mystery surrounding Kiani's secret heritage!

The cover on the right is a Wizard World Philadelphia Variant Exclusive available
on June 15, 2007.

In a nutshell, Rubin explained that Iron and the Maiden is “a cross between
a '30's gangster film, Escape from New York, and Beauty and the Beast. The books
follow Michael Iron, a Syndicate hit man who is trying to reform, and Angel Chase,
a debutante who loses her family in a mob collection gone awry. Iron and Angel
form an unlikely alliance to fight and evade the Syndicate, the Government and
the Church, the three dominant forces in the City, which is a futuristic alternate
universe 1930's metropolis. Their dream of escaping the City's oppressive morass
for a more a peaceful life in the countryside in a house with a white picket
fence mirrors the struggle of everyman to get ahead of the rat race of life.

The series’ antagonist is a “truly unique” character named
Big Daddy. “He has clawed his way up the Syndicate hierarchy through
deceit and backstabbing. The entire City, including his organization fears
him and his edicts. Yet he can’t reach the top shelf at a grocery store.

“Besides Iron, Angel, and Big Daddy, we are keeping the rest of the
characters under wraps for now. I will say that MAD and Jeff Matsuda have designed
20 unique characters between them for the project. It’s a big cast, and
a lot to get in to the mini-series!”

Rubin admitted that the world of Iron and the Maiden was created with film,
television, and video games in mind. “However, I am focusing on the comic
first,” he said. “As I said, my goal is to provide a great comic
first and then work on the rest.”

Iron and the Maiden, a four issue mini-series portraying an alternate-universe
1930s metropolis. "The City" is struggling to survive a three-way battle
for power between The Government, the ominous religious sect The Order, and the
seedy criminal underbelly led by The Syndicate. Caught in the middle of this
war for power, Michael Iron discovers firsthand the meaning of sacrifice, his
only hope for survival coming in the form of a forgiving Angel and several more
unexpected surprises along the way!

The first issue will feature 50/50 split covers, one by Manapul and the other
a Madureira/Matsuda compilation cover. The Michael Turner cover is a 1:35 Retailer
Exclusive Variant. The series will also feature guest covers by Jim Lee, Michael
Turner, Chris Bachalo and others.

ASPEN | 40pg. | Color |

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